UnityPoint Health – Allen Hospital, Community Memorial Hospital and Grundy County Memorial Hospital are restricting hospital visitors, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All routine visiting at the hospitals has been suspended until the transmission of COVID-19 is no longer a threat to our patients, staff and community. Allen Hospital has closed entrances 1, 3, 5, 6 and 9 to the public. That means Entrances 2 (off West Dale St.), 4 (emergency department) and 8 (outpatient registration off Donald St.) will remain open. All patients and visitors at those locations will be given a health screening and issued a temporary badge upon entry to the facility.

The decision to restrict visitors was difficult and made only after careful consideration. We recognize there are times when having a visitor or family member present is crucial. In these cases, visitors will be allowed based on the exceptions listed below.

In all cases, a visitor will only be allowed if they do not have symptoms of respiratory infection (fever, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath). Additionally, children under the age of 16 will not be allowed except under extraordinary circumstances. 

Exceptions include:

• Obstetric patients may have one partner and one birth support person accompany them.
• Nursery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients may have one birth parent plus one significant other who must remain in the room for the duration of the visit.
• Patients who are at the end-of-life may have two visitors.
• Patients with disruptive behavior, where a family member is key to their care, may have one visitor.
• Patients who have altered mental status or developmental delays (where caregiver provides safety) may have one visitor.
• Minors under the age of 18 may have one visitor, parents, or guardians.
• Patients undergoing surgery or procedures may have one visitor who must leave the hospital as soon as possible after the procedure/surgery.
• Patients who have a clinic, laboratory, or radiology, as well as those visiting the emergency department may have one person with them.

Visitors allowed must stay in the patients room the entire time of the visit. Once the visitor leaves the patient room, they must leave the hospital. Please note that visitors will not be allowed for patients with a pending or positive COVID-19 test.

We appreciate your understanding during these uncertain times. Our goal is to protect our patients, staff and the community.

For more ways to protect against the spread of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza, and for the latest updates and guidance in this rapidly evolving situation, please visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov or Iowa Department of Public Health at www.idph.iowa.gov.

Allen Hospital has closed public entry at Entrances 1, 2a, 3, 5, 6a, 6c and 9. Entrance 2, 4 and 8 remain open to the public, and staff will be present to screen visitors for symptoms of influenza-like illnesses.

Current Entrances:

• Entrance 2 is open 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday-Friday
• Emergency Entrance 4 remains open 24/7
• Entrance 8 is open 5 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday.

In response to the current COVID-19 public health crisis and in an effort to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for our healthcare workers and first-responders, UnityPoint Health has made the decision to postpone all elective and semi-urgent procedures and surgeries until further notice. Urgent and emergent surgical procedures will be reviewed and continue to be scheduled.

The decision was made in coordination with federal, regional and state authorities as well as our counterparts in the community.

Our UnityPoint Health hospitals, clinics and walk-in clinic locations will remain open. We ask that you contact your provider’s office to receive more information about your specific care, including rescheduling.

Download pattern and watch instructional video. Many thanks for your help and support!

With visiting restrictions in effect, UnityPoint Health wants to continue to make sure you have access to your medical records. If you need a copy of your medical record, please visit MyUnityPoint, our secure patient website, to access your health information.

• Information about registering for MyUnityPoint can be found by visiting chart.myunitypoint.org
• If you need assistance using or enrolling for MyUnityPoint, please call the support team at (877) 224-4430.

You may also request a copy of your medical record by:

• Contacting the Health Information Management Department at (319) 235-3618
• Emailing the Health Information Management Department at UPH_AMH_ROI@unitypoint.org
  
  • When sending us an email, please include:
    • Your full name – first, middle and last names
    • Date of birth
    • A phone number where we can reach you
    • A full description of the information you want to obtain
• Submitting a “Contact Us” request on the hospital website:
  • Click on “Contact Us” – located in the top right corner of the home page
  • Fill out the indicated required fields
    • In the field “Who do you have a question or comment for?” select “Medical Records”

Thank you for your understanding during this critical time.

Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center school-based mental health therapists, as part of Success Street, remain available for appointments during this time. Appointments with your child's school-based mental health therapist are available at Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center, located at 3251 W. 9th St. in Waterloo. For more information, to schedule an appointment for your child, or to discuss concerns with your child’s therapist, please call (319) 234-2893.

The Prairie Parkway Pharmacy is open 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. every day and offers a drive-thru option. Otherwise, patients may call (319) 222-2906 to wait in their car and have staff bring medications to them. The same thing can be done at Allen Clinic Pharmacy by calling (319) 235-3777. Both locations offer free medication delivery and mail-out service.

• Prescription Delivery by NEI3A — the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging has volunteers available to deliver prescriptions to patients age 60 and older; call (319) 550-5026

In our clinics, we’re restricting visitors to one support person for adult appointments and two support people (with no siblings) for pediatric appointments. All visitors/support people must be in good health (no fever, running nose or cough during the last seven days) and must be age 16 or older (including siblings).

When appropriate, more clinic visits are being completed over the phone to limit face-to-face interaction and promote physical distancing. Situations best-suited for a telephone visit include follow-up on chronic medical conditions, medication management or other appointments for established patients that don’t rely on a physical examination from a provider.

UnityPoint Health has partnered with WELL Health, Inc. to create a virtual waiting room. Patients can notify the office when they arrive by responding to an automated appointment reminder and will then receive text instructions on registration and when and how to safely enter the building.

UnityPoint Clinic Urgent Care – United Medical Park has transitioned to a respiratory illness clinic and test collection site. The clinic, located at 1731 W Ridgeway Ave. in Waterloo, will be dedicated to the triage and treatment of patients with respiratory illnesses.

Patients with symptoms that include fever, cough and difficulty breathing should call their primary care provider or the respiratory illness clinic at (319) 833-5888 to speak with a nurse and be advised on next steps.

This also means that normal urgent care operations will be suspended at United Medical Park. Patients with symptoms or injuries unrelated to respiratory illness will be directed to walk in or check in online at any of our four other urgent care locations in the Cedar Valley – North Crossing, Prairie Parkway, San Marnan or Waverly.

If You Have Symptoms, Call First

If a person believes they’ve been exposed to COVID-19 or symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, please call first before going to a hospital, emergency department, clinic or urgent care. Individuals should call his or her primary care provider or the respiratory illness clinic at United Medical Park in Waterloo at (319) 833-5888.

If you are seeking care not related to COVID-19, consider Virtual Urgent Care at UnityPointVirtualCare.org. This service is currently being offered free of charge.

Screening of all patients, visitors and vendors to United Medical Park will occur at the following entrances:

• Entrance 1: Respiratory Illness Clinic
• Entrance 2: Urology, Lab, Imaging and Anticoagulation
• Entrance 6: Cedar Valley Medical Specialists

Closed Saturdays until further notice. Please use the Urgent Care near to you:

• Prairie Parkway – Cedar Falls  |  5100 Prairie Parkway, Cedar Falls  |  (319) 553-0828
• Marshalltown Medical Park  |  55 Central Iowa Dr., Marshalltown  |  (641) 854-8550

Breastfeeding Support Group

Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehab

Cashier Office

We are committed to keeping our customers safe and healthy. To avoid the spread of illness, the cashier's office at Allen Hospital is temporarily closed. We apologize for the inconvenience. Currently, there are several convenient options for paying your hospital bill:

• Pay by phone: call (844) 849-1260
• Pay online: click "Pay My Bill" in the blue menu bar at the top of this page

Home Medical Equipment Stores Closed

As of March 10, 2020, UnityPoint Health is restricting in-person, vendor visits for sales and marketing calls, routine business reviews, and any other non-critical meetings. Vendor visits required for direct patient care or business critical functions (ex: equipment repair) are permissible with the appropriate screening and precautions. This change is to reduce risk of exposure to patients, team members and vendors during the global outbreak of COVID-19.

We will communicate accordingly when in-person vendor visits are reinstated. Thank you for your cooperation.